Obviously, the first four episodes of “Penguin” aren’t entirely free of gore.
But ironically for a show named after a flightless bird, the death toll in Penguins Season 1 Episode 4 did skyrocket.
We say goodbye to some beloved characters (“honey” is a hyperbole for anyone on this show), and the groundwork has been laid for an all-out war between Oz and Sofia.
TV Fanatic writers Thomas Goldwin and Tyler Johnson sit down to discuss the incident, the shocking death, and what’s next for Sofia Gigante and her former driver.
check it out:
We say goodbye to some relatively important characters in this week’s episode (Nadia Maroney, Johnny Vitti). Is this show sending out its main cast members a little too quickly, or do you like knowing that anyone can leave at any time?
Thomas: I’m a little disappointed by Johnny Vitti’s sudden departure. I think this will be an interesting dynamic, especially after his empathetic speech.
It’ll be fun to see him play second fiddle to Sofia and watch him grow in a role he’s unfamiliar with. Then she blew his head off and I spat out half the NOS and scared my dog.
Taylor: It’s been a while since a show has so brazenly killed off established characters played by relatively well-known actors. It reminded me of Game of Thrones in its heyday, which is never a bad thing.
Thinning the herd in this way really helps focus the attention on the key three individuals – namely Oz, Sophia and Vic. But at the same time, the cast of idiosyncratic bad guys (and gals) is one of my favorite things about this show, so I’m a little sad to see so many interesting characters kicked to the curb so suddenly.
If I thought the writers were working on a long-running series and planned to introduce new characters to replace the less familiar ones, I would be concerned.
But I’m increasingly convinced that the show will be a one-off limited series (which was always the plan, but the network changes plans frequently these days), so maybe cutting back on the cast before the final few episodes is a smart move.
What do you think of the relationship between Sophia and Dr. Rush? Does she finally have someone she can trust by her side?
Thomas: I have no idea. He’s creepy to me. As someone Sofia can rely on, he seems very gentle, even a little sadistic. He’s the guy in the creepy white 1990s Dodge van with “FREE CANDY” scrawled on the side with his finger.
Taylor: Yes, there is definitely something creepy about the good doctor. I’m generally dismissive of fan theories when it comes to the show because so far the writers have come up with ideas that subvert expectations.
But there’s a lot to be said for the idea that Rush will be a scarecrow. Hey, if that happens, then he just might become Sofia’s most powerful ally!
What do you think of Sofia’s decision to take her mother’s maiden name? Obviously, names have a lot of significance in the show and in the comic book world as a whole. Do you think the new nickname marks a change in her personality?
Thomas: I think so. I mean, who wouldn’t? If my dad sent me to the local lunatic so he could hide the fact that he hanged my mother, I might change my name too.
Taylor: What’s in the name? Well, in the world of gangsters and comic books, a lot! As Lisa Babick pointed out in the comments, Sofia’s new name connects her to another mob boss, Vincent Gigante Te is also the subject of mental health speculation.
Of course, when Gotham residents change their names, it usually means they’ve entered a new phase of heroism or villainy. Maybe for Sophia, it’s a little bit of both.
It’s also worth noting that “Gigante” translates to “giant” or “giant.” Oz and her other enemies may want to run and hide while they still can.
How about Thrall’s jailbreak? Is it too far-fetched, or does the show already take that dramatic license? What does his freedom mean for the war between Oz and Sofia?
Thomas: For me at least, Thrall’s escape is the cheesiest thing I’ve ever seen in Penguin.
I served in the Marine Corps. You wouldn’t stab him in the gut with a dagger (all the way up to the hilt I might add), it might go straight into his gut and possibly into the liver, bladder, kidneys, or spine, and Suddenly overwhelmed a perfectly healthy correctional officer, ran away, and failed to seek any form of medical assistance.
He’s leaking his own feces into his bloodstream now and I feel like they just need an excuse to keep Sofia with another untrustworthy partner and keep the Maroney Family show going. Of course, this is fiction, but come on…
Taylor: Yeah, that scene left a bad impression on me, which is a shame because otherwise it was such a strong episode.
Sure, it’s a comic book show, but it’s also struggled to maintain a level of realism so far. It would have been easy to write a believable prison break for Sal, but to throw it away along with that scene seemed weird to me.
But hey, maybe it will all be explained later.
Let’s talk about mushrooms. Oz is still trying to become the king (literally) of Gotham’s underworld, while Sofia is focused on destroying her enemies. Will Oz’s quest to become the city’s top fungi expert lead to disaster?
Thomas: I loved the whole underground lair in Batman Returns. I also thought the “plot hole” floating around the internet (Penguin and Batman passing each other in the tunnels beneath Gotham) was no big deal.
Oz is at rock bottom. From here he could only go in one direction. Penguins can’t fly, but the direction must be upward.
Taylor: The show seems to want us to believe that Oz vastly underestimated his opponent and is now simply in over his head.
That may be the case, but with three episodes left, there are sure to be plenty of twists and turns.
I think Bliss will end up having major plot significance – possibly related to the aforementioned Dr. Rush/Scarecrow theory. But I’ve learned not to try to predict this show. In fact, the only thing I know for sure is that I don’t know what’s going to happen next!
Is it your turn, TV fanatic? What did you think of this wild episode?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!
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